What We Do

Our goal for every young person who walks through our doors is that they develop the skills and self-confidence to make a successful transition to young adulthood. Our bilingual programs and services are designed to address the multiple needs of the young people and families in the communities we serve. Through opportunities in academics, arts and recreation, job readiness, safe places to live, and healthy and wellness, LAYC strives to address many of the barriers to success low-income youth face.

With over 50 programs and services across our sites in the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland, we are pleased to offer our region’s youth opportunities to pursue success in:

Safe Housing: short- and long-term family-based and transitional living programs for homeless and runaway youth with special programs for young families and LGBTQ-identifying youth.

Health and Wellness: welcoming, non-clinical settings for sexual health education and HIV/STI/pregnancy testing and counseling, mental health and substance use disorders treatment, and parenting skills for young parents.

Our Signature Youth Development Model: The Promotor Pathway®

A strong relationship with a caring adult is critical to a young person’s ability to achieve success. Our Promotor Pathway® is an innovative model to meet the multiple needs of our most vulnerable youth, which combines individualized support with mentoring and high-quality services to transform lives.

The Pathway’s goal is to eliminate as many barriers as possible in these young people’s lives, including homelessness, substance abuse, mental health issues, involvement with the criminal justice system, out of school, unemployed, or gang activity.

The Promotor Pathway® has been rigorously evaluated by the Urban Institute. The results showed youth enrolled in the Promotor Pathway® were more likely to stay in school, avoid unplanned parenthood, and have stable places to live.